Wiper blade replacement assembly

ABSTRACT

A replacement assembly for a wiper blade for cleaning the windshield of a motor vehicle includes an elastic wiper blade assembly that has a top part and a wiper lip, with one respective elastic rail inserted into two lateral longitudinal grooves in the top part and retained therein by a retaining clip. An end piece on the end and the retaining clip both hold the elastic rails in the longitudinal grooves. The end piece is attached to one end of the wiper blade assembly, with said end piece securing the wiper blade assembly on the wiper blade frame in the longitudinal direction with the end to insure simple and safe handling of the replacement assembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a replacement assembly for a wiper blade thatserves for cleaning the windshield of a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many conventional wiper blade assemblies consist of a top part and awiper lip that is attached to the top part via a tiltable ridge. The toppart is provided with a longitudinal groove on both sides, with elasticrails being laterally inserted into both longitudinal grooves. Theseelastic rails are secured from longitudinal displacement relative to thewiper blade assembly by means of holding elements. A rib on the wiperblade assembly which laterally engages into a corresponding notch in theelastic rail usually serves as the holding element. The elastic railsare prevented from laterally falling out of the longitudinal groove bymeans of claws that form part of the wiper blade frame and accommodatethe wiper blade assembly.

Since the replacement of such wiper blade assemblies is quitecomplicated, DE-OS 3827875 proposes equipping the wiper bladereplacement assembly with the required elastic rails and preventing saidelastic rails from laterally falling out by means of at least oneretaining clip. This retaining clip surrounds the top part of the wiperblade assembly as well as the elastic rails arranged in the longitudinalgrooves. Here, the retaining clip(s) is/are only fixed to the top partof the wiper blade assembly with a relatively low clamping force. Theunit so constructed is longitudinally inserted into the claws of thewiper blade frame, with the claws of the wiper blade frame engaging intoguide grooves arranged in the sides of the top part of the wiper bladeassembly. When inserting this unit, the retaining clips are held by thefirst claw of the wiper blade frame and subsequently displaced along thewiper blade assembly. Once the wiper blade assembly reaches its finalposition, the retaining clips fall off the top part of the wiper bladeassembly. In order to prevent the wiper blade assembly from sliding outof the wiper blade frame, the wiper blade assembly is fixed to the wiperblade frame on the end that is situated opposite to the end that wasinitially inserted into the claws of the wiper blade frame. For thispurpose, the end claws of the wiper blade frame snap into a recessarranged within the region of the guide groove after they pass over aninclined surface. Consequently, the end claw positively engages into therecesses with slight play, thereby securing the wiper blade assembly inthe longitudinal direction.

When removing a worn wiper blade assembly from the wiper blade frame, itis necessary to widen the end claw that engages into the recesses by acertain amount. In order to ensure that this end claw properly engagesinto the recesses once a new wiper blade assembly has been inserted, itis necessary to press this end claw together again. Such permanentdeformations cannot be repeated as often as desired without causingdamage, particularly to the paint coating within this region. If onlyone retaining clip is used, it was determined that the elastic rails arestill able to fall out of the longitudinal grooves at locations that aresituated at a distance from the retaining clip due to the elasticity ofthe wiper blade assemblies and the elastic rails.

The present invention is based on the objective of additionallydeveloping a wiper blade replacement assembly of the initially mentionedtype in such a way that a simple and secure handling of the replacementassembly is ensured and damage is largely prevented.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, this objective is attained with areplacement assembly in which an end piece is fastened to one end of thewiper blade assembly, with said end piece holding the elastic rails inthe longitudinal grooves on this end, and in which a retaining clip isattached onto the wiper blade assembly such that it encompasses the toppart of the wiper blade assembly as well as the elastic rails with aslight press fit at a distance from the end piece, preferably near theother end of the wiper blade assembly. Consequently, a preassembled unitis obtained in which the elastic rails are held in the longitudinalgrooves of the wiper blade at two different points. According to theinvention, the risk of the elastic rails sliding out of the longitudinalgrooves of the wiper blade assembly during the mounting process isparticularly high on the ends of the wiper blade assembly, particularlyif the elastic rails are realized in curved fashion in order to generatea certain prestress of the wiper blade assembly. The aforementioned endpiece eliminates the risk of the elastic rails sliding out of thelongitudinal grooves on this end of the wiper blade assembly. Oneadditional advantage is attained in that the end piece remains on theend of the wiper blade assembly after the mounting process and securesthe wiper blade assembly on the wiper blade frame in the longitudinaldirection, i.e., either alone or in cooperation with an additionalcomponent. A deformation of the claw for fixing this end of the wiperblade assembly on the wiper blade frame during the mounting of thereplacement assembly is no longer required.

The handling of this preassembled unit which consists of the wiper bladeassembly with inserted elastic rails as well as the end piece and anadditional retaining clip is quite simple. The end of the wiper bladeassembly which is situated opposite to the attached end piece isinserted into the first claw of the wiper blade frame in properlypositioned fashion such that the claw engages into the guide grooves onthe top part of the wiper blade assembly on both sides, i.e., the clawaccommodates the upper portion of the top part as well as the elasticrails. During the additional insertion of the wiper blade assembly inthe longitudinal direction, the retaining clip comes in contact with thefirst claw of the wiper blade frame. From here on, the retaining clipthat can be easily displaced due to the slight press fit slides in thelongitudinal direction of the wiper blade assembly. During the mountingprocess, the wiper blade assembly is successively inserted into theremaining claws of the wiper blade frame. Shortly before the end piecereaches the first claw of the wiper blade frame, the retaining clip mustbe removed from the wiper blade assembly. Subsequently, the wiper bladeassembly is entirely inserted into the wiper blade frame and secured onthe wiper blade frame in the longitudinal direction.

The retaining clip is configured similarly to a clothespin, with its twolegs connected to one another by means of a crosspiece. One end of thelegs is bent or angled inward in the form of a holding tab such that theholding tabs are able to engage underneath the top part of the wiperblade assembly. In addition, the space limited by the two legs, thecrosspiece, and the two holding tabs approximately corresponds to thecross section of the top part of the wiper blade assembly. Consequently,the elastic rails are held in their longitudinal grooves as reliably aspossible. When removing such a retaining clip from the wiper bladeassembly, one presses both legs against one another at their free endssuch that the leg parts that encompass the top part of the wiper bladeassembly are spread sufficiently far apart to release the top part ofthe wiper blade assembly. If the retaining clip is inexpensivelymanufactured in one piece, the crosspiece may fracture when the ends ofthe legs are spread apart. In order to prevent such an occurrence andrealize the retaining clips in reusable fashion, the crosspiece betweenthe legs of the retaining clip can be realized in elastic fashion.

Despite all advantages attained with the invention, certain problems maystill arise during the insertion of the wiper blade assembly into theclaws of the wiper blade frame. Since the claws are of relatively smalldimensions, the soft end surface of the wiper blade assembly can becomejammed on the edges of the claw such that the insertion is obstructed.In order to solve this problem, the end of the wiper blade assemblywhich is inserted first is equipped with an insertion piece that isessentially situated on the end surface of the wiper blade assembly.This insertion piece is configured so that it maintains the profile ofthe wiper blade assembly which is determinative for insertion of thewiper blade assembly into the claws of the wiper blade frame, with theinsertion piece tapering toward its free end. The insertion piece isadvantageously fastened to the end of the wiper blade assembly in such away that it can be removed without being destroyed. Consequently, theinsertion piece can be reused several times.

In order to attain a simple handling of the replacement assembly, it isadvantageous if the end piece arranged on the end of the wiper bladeassembly consist of only one part.

Thus, the end piece consists of a hollow housing that is open on one endand closed by an end wall on the other end. The free cross section ofthis housing is designed so that the housing is able to accommodate thetop part of the wiper blade assembly as well as the elastic rail withthe elastic rails held in the lateral longitudinal grooves on this endof the wiper blade assembly. In order to ensure that this end piece isonly attached to the top part on the end of the wiper blade assembly,the underside of the housing is provided with a slot that is able toaccommodate the tiltable ridge of the wiper blade assembly.Consequently, the tiltable ridge extends through the underside of theend piece in such a way that the wiper lip can protrude freely. In orderto lock the end piece on the end of the wiper blade assembly, it isequipped with corresponding elements, e.g., catch or clamping elementsthat, in particular, are situated on the inner side of the opposing sidewalls of the housing. These clamping or catch elements ensure asufficiently rigid seating of the end piece on the end of the wiperblade assembly. However, they can also serve for fixing the elasticrails on the wiper blade assembly in the longitudinal direction. Such anend piece is very suitable for the manual handling of the preassembledreplacement assembly during the insertion of a new wiper blade into thewiper blade frame and forms a visually appealing end section of thewiper blade end.

It is proposed to arrange an additional opening in the underside of theend piece housing, namely in the end wall of the closed end. The slotfor accommodating the tiltable ridge of the wiper blade assemblypreferably ends in this opening. This opening makes it possible to drainliquid from the interior of the end piece and simplifies the removal ofthe end piece from the wiper blade end. In the latter case, this openingserves as a mounting opening and allows the insertion of a tool, e.g., ascrewdriver, in order to remove the end piece from the end of the wiperblade assembly.

When using relatively long wiper blades and/or wiper blades for curvedwindshields, it is necessary to ensure a relatively large displacementbetween the wiper blade assembly and the wiper blade frame. This isnecessary because the elastic wiper blade assembly usually consists ofrubber or an elastomer and is subject to a change in length due totemperature changes or its deflection relative to the wiper blade frameon a curved windshield. In this case, it is advantageous to fix only oneof the two wiper blade ends on an end claw of the wiper blade frame suchthat it is secured in both longitudinal direction. In this way, it isensured that the wiper blade assembly can be displaced relative to allremaining claws of the wiper blade frame.

In order to fulfill this requirement in an end piece according to thepresent invention, the end piece is equipped with two catch springs thatextend in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade assembly, suchthat they extend from the opposing side walls of the housing beyond itsopen end. These catch springs that are arranged at a distance from oneanother are provided with inwardly-directed catch tabs at their freeends. These catch tabs are so long that they surround the outer side ofthe end claw of the wiper blade frame in the assembled condition andengage behind the end claw with their catch tabs. Such an end piece canbe inexpensively manufactured in the form of an integral plasticcomponent.

When using relatively short wiper blades or wiper blades for anessentially planar windshield, it is advantageous if the wiper bladeassembly is not directly fixed to the wiper blade frame, but rather insuch a way that there exists a certain amount of longitudinal playbetween the wiper blade assembly and the wiper blade frame. The end ofthe wiper blade assembly is equipped with an end piece without catchsprings for the end claw of the wiper blade frame. This end piece isonly held on the end of the wiper blade assembly which is equipped withelastic rails. The other end of the wiper blade assembly which must beinserted into the claws of the wiper blade frame can be provided withthe previously described insertion piece. A retaining clip thatsurrounds the top part and the elastic rail is attached to the wiperblade assembly near the end that must be inserted into the wiper bladeframe. This replacement assembly also contains a loosely-enclosed endpiece which is identical to the end piece arranged on the wiper bladeassembly. After the wiper blade assembly is entirely inserted into thewiper blade frame, the insertion piece is removed from the inserted endof the wiper blade assembly which now protrudes from the other end ofthe wiper blade frame. The second loosely-enclosed end piece is nowattached to this end of the wiper blade assembly, with said end piecefixed only to the wiper blade assembly. The length of the wiper bladeassembly is chosen in accordance with the type of wiper blade used, suchthat the required longitudinal play between the end pieces and thecorresponding end claws of the wiper blade frame is ensured.Consequently, each of the two end pieces that are attached to the wiperblade assembly limits the longitudinal displacement of the wiper bladeassembly in one direction.

In order to dampen the contact between the end pieces and the respectiveend claw of the wiper blade frame and simultaneously reduce the noisedeveloped during the operation of the windshield wiper system, it isproposed to equip both end pieces with the damping element according toclaim 10 which is able to cooperate with the adjacent end claw of thewiper blade frame. According to claim 11, the damping element isadvantageously realized in the form of an elastic tab, particularly onethat has the form of a closed hollow profile. This elastic tab isadvantageously realized in one piece that is integrally formed onto theend piece at the open end of the housing, particularly the end surface.

In order additionally to simplify the handling of the replacementassembly, the invention proposes the use of the advantageous embodimentaccording to FIG. 12. According to this embodiment, the individualcomponents of the replacement assembly have different colors thatcorrespond to their function. Components that remain on the wiper bladeassembly after the mounting process are realized in the same color asthe wiper blade assembly or the wiper blade frame. Components that mustbe removed during or after the mounting of the wiper blade assembly arerealized in a different color than the wiper blade assembly or the wiperblade frame. This measure is intended to prevent the improper mountingof the wiper blade assembly on the wiper blade frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a replacement assembly that is ready tobe inserted into the claws of a wiper blade frame.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the replacement assembly during theinsertion into the claws of a wiper blade frame.

FIG. 3 is a cross section through the replacement assembly within theregion of the holding claw.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an end piece of a replacement assemblywith an underside that, in contrast to FIG. 1, points toward the top.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an insertion piece of a replacementassembly according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a replacementassembly during the insertion into the wiper blade frame.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the replacement assembly according toFIG. 6 after the mounting on the wiper blade frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The replacement assembly shown in FIG. 1 comprises a wiper bladeassembly 1 of rubber which consists of a top part 2 and a wiper lip 3,with the top part 2 and the wiper lip 3 being integrally connected via atiltable ridge 4 (FIG. 3). Two longitudinal grooves 5 are laterallyarranged in the top part 2, with one elastic rail 6 being inserted intoeach longitudinal groove. In order to prevent that the elastic rails 6laterally sliding out of the longitudinal grooves 5 during the insertionof the replacement assembly into the claws 7 of theschematically-indicated wiper blade frame 8, the elastic rails are heldon the end 9 of the wiper blade assembly 1 by means of an end piece 10.The end piece 10 is realized in such a way that it can be pushed ontothe end 9 of the wiper blade assembly 1 from the end surface of thewiper blade assembly and surround the top part 2 as well as the elasticrails 6. A retaining clip 12 is clamped onto the top part 2 with aslight press fit between the end piece 10 and the front end 11 of thewiper blade assembly 1. Although not clearly visible in FIG. 1 due tothe partial cross section of the wiper blade assembly, the retainingclip 12 should be arranged between the front end 11 and the center ofthe wiper blade assembly 1. The retaining clip 12 surrounds the top part2 of the wiper blade assembly 1 from the top and overlaps both elasticrails 6 situated in the longitudinal grooves 5, i.e., the elastic railsare secured from laterally sliding out of the longitudinal grooves 5.

The replacement assembly also comprises an insertion piece 13 that isessentially arranged on the end surface of the front end 11 of the wiperblade assembly 1 and serves for simplifying the insertion of the wiperblade assembly 1 into the claws 7 of the wiper blade frame 8.

The replacement assembly that is advantageously delivered in thepreassembled condition shown in FIG. 1 is successively inserted into theindividual claws 7 of the wiper blade frame 8, in such a way that itsinsertion piece 13 points toward the front. Once the retaining clip 12comes in contact with the first claw 7, the retaining clip is retainedby this claw 7 as shown in FIG. 2. The force with which the retainingclip 12 presses against the top part 2 of the wiper blade assembly 1 isso low that it can be displaced relatively easily along the wiper bladeassembly 1. Consequently, the additional insertion of the wiper bladeassembly 1 is not obstructed. Shortly before the end piece 10 reachesthe retaining clip 12, the insertion process is interrupted and theretaining clip 12 is removed from the top part 2 of the wiper bladeassembly 1. This is realized by spreading apart the retaining clip 12and removing said retaining clip toward the top. The wiper bladeassembly 1 is now further inserted into the wiper blade frame 8 untilthe inclined surfaces of the catch tabs 14 situated on the free ends ofthe catch springs 15 come in contact with the outer sides of the firstclaw 7 and snap behind their rear side after passing the claw 7. Thewiper blade assembly 1 is now fixed on the first claw 7 of the wiperblade frame 8 with its end 9. The wiper blade assembly 1 is held in allother claws 7 of the wiper blade frame 8 such that it can be displacedin the longitudinal direction. In order to ensure the proper functioningof the wiper blade, the insertion piece 13 must be removed from thefront end 11 of the wiper blade assembly 1. The proper mounting of thereplacement assembly is encouraged due to the fact that the retainingclip 12 and the insertion piece 13 are realized in red. Consequently,there is a clear color contrast between these two components and theblack wiper blade assembly 1 and the black end piece 10, i.e., the riskof forgetting to remove these components during or after mounting isthereby reduced.

FIG. 3 shows how the retaining clip 12 holds the elastic rails 6 on thetop part 2 of the wiper blade assembly 1. The two elastic rails 6 areinserted into the upper longitudinal grooves 5 of the t op part 2. Guidegrooves 16 that extend parallel to the longitudinal grooves 5 arearranged in the top part 2 beneath the longitudinal grooves 5. On theunderside of the top part 2 that has an essentially trapezoidal crosssection, the tiltable ridge 4 and the wiper lip 3 are integrally formedonto the top part. The retaining clip 12 that is realized similarly to aclothespin is essentially formed by two legs 17 that are connected toone another by a n elastic crosspiece 18 arranged between their twoends. At their lower end, the legs 17 are bent inward such that theyconverge and form the holding tabs 19 with their bent ends. The crosssection limited by the crosspiece 18, the lower part of the legs 17, andthe holding tabs 19 approximately correspond to the cross section of thetop part 2. The retaining clip 12 is attached to the wiper bladeassembly 1 that is equipped with the elastic rails 6 from the top, withthe holding tabs 19 engaging underneath the top part 2. The retainingclip 12 is attached to the top part 2 with a slight press fit and holdsthe elastic rails 6 in the longitudinal grooves 5. The retaining clip 12is arranged on the top part 2 so rigidly that it cannot be easilydisplaced by vehicular vibrations. However, the retaining clip isarranged on the top part so loosely that the retaining clip can berelatively easily displaced along the wiper blade assembly. Whenremoving the retaining clip 12 from the wiper blade assembly 1, theholding tabs 19 are correspondingly spread apart by pressing togetherthe upper ends of the legs 17.

The end piece 10 of the replacement assembly according to the inventionwhich is shown in FIG. 4 is realized in the form of an integral plasticpart, the main component of which is a hollow housing 20. This housing20 is open on one end and closed by a rear wall 21 on the other. Thefree cross section of the housing 20 is realized in such a way that itis able to accommodate the top part 2 of the wiper blade assembly 1 aswell as the elastic rails 6 that are inserted into the longitudinalgrooves 5 and consequently prevents the elastic rails 6 from laterallysliding out of the longitudinal grooves 5. The underside 22 of thehousing 20 which is situated on top in FIG. 4 comprises a longitudinalslot 23 that is at least slightly wider than the tiltable ridge 4 of thewiper blade assembly 1. Consequently, the end piece 10 can be attachedto the end 11 of the wiper blade assembly 1 in the longitudinaldirection as shown in FIG. 1. In order to ensure a sufficiently rigidseating of the end piece 10 on the wiper blade assembly 1, the housing20 of the end piece 10 is equipped with stationary clamping or catchelements 25 on the opposing inner sides 24. These clamping or catchelements 25, of which only one is visible in FIG. 4, are pressed intothe rubber material of the wiper blade assembly 1 or engage intocorresponding recesses on the top part 2 of the wiper blade assembly 1and, if so required, the elastic rails 6.

An opening 26 is arranged in the underside 22 of the housing 20 betweenthe slot 23 and the rear wall 21. The slot 23 ends in this opening. Theopening 26 primarily serves as a mounting opening that allows theinsertion of a tool in order to remove the end piece 10 from the toppart 2. In addition, liquid can be drained from the housing 20 via thisopening 26. The two catch springs 15 with the catch tabs 14 areintegrally formed onto the opposing outer sides of the housing 20 andextend longitudinally beyond the open end of the housing 20. Inaddition, the end piece 10 can be handled quite easily, particularlyduring the insertion of the replacement assembly into the wiper bladeframe 8, such that the wiper lip 3 is correspondingly protected.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of an insertion piece 13 for the replacementassembly. The lower part 27 of the insertion piece 13 is hollow, suchthat it is able to accommodate the wiper lip 3 on the front end 11 ofthe wiper blade assembly 1. The tiltable ridge 4 of the wiper bladeassembly 1 extends through the longitudinal slot 28 of the insertionpiece 13, with the longitudinal slot 28 being slightly narrower than thetiltable ridge 4. Consequently, the insertion piece can be clamped ontothe front end 11 of the wiper blade assembly in such a way that it canbe removed without being destroyed. The upper part 29 of the insertionpiece 13 directly adjoins the upper part 2 of the wiper blade assembly 1on the front end 11. Inside this upper part 29, the cross section of theupper part 2 that lies above the guide grooves 16 is tapered, and theinsertion grooves 30 for the claws 7 that are situated adjacent to theguide grooves 16 of the upper part are widened.

FIG. 6 shows an additional embodiment of the replacement assemblyaccording to the invention during the insertion into the wiper bladeframe 8 that is only schematically indicated in FIG. 6. In thisreplacement assembly, no insertion piece 13 is provided; however, theend surface is laterally beveled on the front end 11 of the wiper bladeassembly 1 in order to simplify the insertion into the claws 7 of thewiper blade frame 8. The retaining clip 12 is realized in accordancewith FIG. 1 or 3. This retaining clip fulfills the same function and ishandled in the same fashion as described previously; consequently, thisretaining clip is not described in detail at this point.

The end piece 10' according to FIG. 6 which is only fixed on the end 9of the wiper blade assembly 1 that is equipped with the elastic rails 6is realized similarly to the end piece according to FIG. 1 or 4.However, it differs from the aforementioned embodiments of an end piecedue to the fact that its housing 20' is without catch springs 15. Theupper side of the end piece 10' is recessed relative to the end surfaceon the open end of the housing 20' such that a recess 31 with open edgesis formed. The side walls of the housing 20' adjoin this recess. Adamping element 32 is arranged in recess 31. Dampening element 32 dampsthe contact with the wiper blade frame 8 while the mounted wiper bladeassembly 1 is longitudinally displaced during the operation of thewindshield wiper system. This damping effect occurs since the projection33 which protrudes longitudinally outward from the claw 7 of the wiperblade frame comes in contact with the damping element 32.

The damping element 32 is advantageously realized in the form of anelastic tab 34 that is integrally formed onto the open end of thehousing 20' of the end piece 10' and has the shape of a closed hollowprofile.

This replacement assembly additionally comprises a second, identical endpiece 10' which is loosely enclosed with the preassembled unit shown inFIG. 6. FIG. 7 shows that, after removing the retaining clip 12 andentirely inserting the wiper blade assembly 1, this second end piece 10'is attached onto the front end 11 of the wiper blade assembly 1 whichprotrudes from the wiper blade frame 8 and is fixed on the front end ofthe wiper blade assembly. The wiper blade assembly 1 is secured in thelongitudinal direction by both end pieces 10' that are able to come incontact with the corresponding outer claw 7 of the wiper blade frame 8.The wiper blade assembly 1 is of such length that a sufficiently largeplay for ensuring the longitudinal displacement of the wiper bladeassembly 1 relative to the wiper blade frame 8 is provided between theend pieces 10' and the outer claws 7. This embodiment is particularlyadvantageous for relatively short wiper blades. FIG. 7 shows only oneend 9 of the wiper blade assembly 1 in the mounted condition; in thisfigure, the other end is realized similarly to the end shown.

We claim:
 1. A replacement assembly for a wiper blade for cleaning a windshield of a motor vehicle comprising:an elongated elastic replacement wiper blade assembly with a top part and a wiper lip that are connected to one another via a tiltable ridge, the tip part having a pair of lateral longitudinal grooves and a pair of guide grooves parallel to the longitudinal grooves, the guide grooves adapted to slidably receive a wiper blade frame end claw; two elastic rails, each disposed in a respective one of the lateral longitudinal grooves; a first end piece disposed over one end of the wiper blade and ends of the elastic rails, the first end piece having a housing with two opposing side walls and an open end which receives the end of the wiper blade hereby retaining the elastic rails in the longitudinal grooves, the first end piece having two catch springs extending in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade assembly from the opposing side walls of the housing beyond the open end of the housing with each of the catch springs having a catch tab directed towards the other catch spring and adapted for snapping engagement with the wiper blade frame end claw, each of said catch tabs having a tapered end to facilitate insertion of the end claw into the first end piece and a flat end to retain the end claw from slipping out of said first end piece; and a second end piece having a tapered portion and a pair of insertion grooves formed therein, wherein said second end piece is disposed over an opposite end of the wiper blade from said first end piece such that said pair of insertion grooves are aligned with corresponding ones of said longitudinal guide grooves, said tapered portion adapted to guide said end claw onto said top part and said insertion grooves allowing passage of a part of said end claw to be received into said guide grooves.
 2. The replacement assembly for a wiper blade as claimed in claim 1 further including a retaining clip having two legs connected by a cross piece to form an upper portion and a lower portion, the legs in the lower portion having holding tabs formed thereon, wherein said lower portion surrounds the top part and the two elastic rails thereby retaining the elastic rails in the longitudinal groove and said upper portion facilitates removal of the retaining clip in a perpendicular direction with respect to the top part.
 3. The replacement assembly for a wiper blade as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second end piece is removable from the wiper blade. 